THE DEMAND PROJECT INC

Prevention - The Demand Project believes in educating, equipping and empowering the community on how to stay safe against child predators who seek to harm children. We provide in-depth presentations that will give you insights on how predators operate, how to keep children safe online, and how you can stay educated on any emerging technological trends. In 2024, The Demand Project provided prevention education to 1,326 youth and 2,574 adults through school presentations, community trainings, conferences, and online webinars. To strengthen these efforts, the TDP team developed, published, and distributed Empower presentation workbooks to students participating in youth prevention programs, giving them practical tools to recognize and resist exploitation. The combined efforts reached a total of 3,900 individuals, equipping both youth and adults with the knowledge and resources needed to prevent human trafficking and online exploitation before it occurs.

Protection and Recovery - The Demand Project's Protection department fights the demand side of trafficking by pursuing civil litigation, and supports survivors by seeking restorative justice and providing access to quality legal services. TDP also facilitates Recovery services for survivors by advocating in crisis situations in collaboration with law enforcement. In 2024, The Demand Project advanced its mission through protection and recovery initiatives that directly impacted survivors and strengthened systemic responses to exploitation. TDP provided legal advocacy support to residential and non-residential clients navigating the justice system for charges stemming from their exploitation, and our headquarters served as a court-ordered safe place for the reunification of a former resident and her child for parental visits. At the policy level, TDP authored and advanced new child sexual abuse material (CSAM) legislation signed into law in 2024, advised Representative Provenzano on proposed 2025 legislation, and continued collaborating with lawmakers to combat human trafficking and commercial sexual exploitation. On the recovery side, TDP responded to 24 crisis advocacy cases involving minors and 52 crisis calls for placement and resource referrals, coordinating with the Oklahoma Department of Human Services, Office of Juvenile Affairs, and Child Protection Services to connect survivors to drug rehabilitation programs, mental health services, problematic sexual behavior treatment, and long-term residential care. The Victim Advocate Support Team (VAST) also identified homelessness as a significant risk factor for exploitation, conducting multiple outreach operations in areas with vulnerable families; while no children were identified in danger during these missions, the efforts expanded community trust and reinforced prevention networks.